


are we in the clear yet?

by adiwriting



Series: Tumblr Prompt Fills [1]
Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Gen, Maria DeLuca & Michael Guerin Friendship, Mentions of Past Miluca - Freeform, mentions of possible future malex, post breakup conversation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-18 11:28:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29117538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adiwriting/pseuds/adiwriting
Summary: Michael and Maria talk for the first time after their breakup.
Series: Tumblr Prompt Fills [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2136447
Comments: 18
Kudos: 26





	are we in the clear yet?

**Author's Note:**

> This was a prompt fill for the lovely @foramomentonly who wanted Michael and Maria friendship. And I for one always enjoy writing that awkward time between being lovers and being friends where you're still trying to figure things out and while you don't want to get back together, you still miss that person and it still hurts.
> 
> Though I posted most of these prompt fills in the span of 2 days, I'm going to spread out adding them to AO3 so as not to spam the tag.

“Thank you for this,” Maria says as Michael finishes soldering the new wires together on the cash register that had broken. “I know things between us are weird and you didn’t have to answer my call.” 

“Weird? Why? Because you broke up with me in the middle of a hospital where I’d been sitting at your sickbed for most of the week?” he asks with a straight face, but the moment she starts shifting uncomfortably on her feet he drops it. “DeLuca, it’s fine. We’re still friends, right?” 

The last part is said nervously. Like perhaps he’d misunderstood the situation and she’s about to tell him differently. 

The tension leaves her body and she gives him a soft smile. “Yeah. We’re still friends, Guerin.” 

They smile at each other and for a moment, it feels like nothing has changed for them. But then Maria takes a step back and looks away and Michael remembers that everything has changed. 

“You’re not getting rid of me that easily,” she says, and the mood shifts back to a friendly one. 

“Well good, cause the only other decent bar in this place is Planet 7 and as much as I love the eye candy, somehow I always end up finding glitter on me for days after leaving. Shit is annoying.” 

“You sure that’s the only reason you don’t like it?” Maria asks, tilting her head and giving him that look, like she’s trying to read him. 

“Alright Nancy Drew, calm down,” he says, mentally throwing up some barriers in case she actually does get a read off of him. She hasn’t mentioned her powers escalating to actual mind reading, but given how astute Mimi always is it wouldn’t surprise him. 

“You know, I own this bar right?” she says, moving around the bartop to sit down at one of the stools. “Nothing happens here without my knowledge.”

“Okay?” He doesn’t know where this is going. 

“So I heard about Alex’s little open mic night,” she says, clearly fishing.

“So you heard about him kissing Forrest then.” 

Michael hadn’t been upset at the news when he’d first heard it. Nor when he’d continued to hear it as the gossip spread around the town. This town is full of people with way too much time on their hands. This is something he’s always known. He’s happy for Alex. Glad that he’s comfortable with somebody enough to be out in all the ways he was always too terrified to be with Michael. It’s good for him. Even if it does give him a slight pang to think about the ways they never got to be out together. 

“I heard about him singing a song about his high school lover,” she says, giving him a pointed look. “You and I both know that wasn’t Forrest.” 

“Maria, what are you doing?” he asks. He already gets it regularly from Isobel, he doesn’t need it from her. He knows what he’s doing by giving Alex space. And yes, there’s a chance it means Alex won’t come back, but it’s a chance he’s willing to take because Alex deserves a chance to explore his options without all of their baggage weighing him down. If you love something let it go and all that. 

“Alex is my best friend.” 

Michael lets out a frustrated sigh. “I know,” he says. “I don’t need the reminder. If you’re about to tell me I’m a shitty person or whatever—” 

“Did I say that?” she asks. 

“What  _ are _ you saying?” 

“I’m saying that Alex is my best friend and you are my—” she cuts herself off and both of them look away awkwardly. The breakup is still fresh enough for them to still forget at times. “Well, I care about you. I want you to be happy. I think that’s only going to happen when you’re together.” 

He sighs. He’s pretty sure she’s right, though he doesn’t want to say as much and risk hurting her feelings. He’d tried to be happy without Alex… It had crashed and burned. 

“Is that why you broke up with me?” he asks, crossing his arms and leaning against the back of the bar. “For him?” 

“That’s not the only reason and you know it,” she says with a pointed look. 

“Yeah.” 

Because he does. They were never going to see eye to eye on her decision not to wear the bracelet and he would have respected her choices enough to stop asking, but it would have destroyed him to do so. Still does. Seeing her bare wrist terrifies him. 

“That song wasn’t for me,” he says, changing the topic before he can ask her to wear it again. He has no right. Not anymore. He’s not sure he ever did. 

“Michael,” she says his name like she’s exhausted. 

“No,” he cuts her off. “Listen. I know it was  _ about _ me, but it wasn’t  _ for _ me. He didn’t invite me to the Pony. He sang it for himself. And if you’d heard the lyrics, you would have heard him say there’s a battle he’s gotta fight alone right now.” 

“But it’s you he’s fighting for. Yeah, I know. I made him play it for me,” she says. 

“You did?” Somehow, he assumed she wouldn’t be interested in listening to a love song sung by her best friend about her recently ex-boyfriend. 

“It was good.” 

Michael can’t help the smile that comes. “Of course it was good. It was Alex.” 

Maria gives him an amused look until he looks away and schools his expression better. 

“So what’s the problem?” 

“I just think that Alex needs time,” he says. 

Maria rolls her eyes. 

“No , really,” he says, annoyed that everyone treats him like he’s stupid whenever he says that. He’s not being needlessly difficult. He’s trying to do the right thing and thinking of the long term rather than just acting on how he feels in the moment. “I think he needs time to get over some things before he’s ready. And honestly? I need time too. To get over…” he trails off before he can say ‘us.’ 

She hears it anyway. 

“I didn’t mean to hurt you,” she says. 

“I know… Still did.” He doesn’t mean it to make her feel bad, but it’s the truth. And he’s trying to be better about being honest about his feelings.

She smiles sadly, eyes watery. 

“Don’t worry about it, DeLuca,” he says, hating that she’s upset. 

She gives him a look like she always does when she thinks he’s diminishing something that he shouldn’t. He walks around the bar to stand next to her and places his hand on her shoulder. 

“So long as we can still be friends, I’ll be okay,” he says. “Sex was good and all, but mostly, I miss talking to you.” 

“Nobody told you that you had to avoid the Pony on my shifts,” she says. He ducks his head but she chases him so he can’t look away. “I’ll always be here for you.” 

“Good,” he says. “Me too.” 

“Good.” She smiles. 


End file.
